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Mabandla denies ordering a halt to apartheid-era prosecutions

Published

Former justice minister Brigitte Mabandla told the TRC cases inquiry she did not instruct former acting prosecutions head Silas Ramaite to stop or delay cases. She also said she did not know attorney Jan Wagener.

Ramaite told the inquiry that Mabandla phoned him in 2004 and asked him to put TRC cases on hold until new prosecution guidelines were ready. One report gave the date of the call as 9 November 2004. Prosecutors Anton Ackermann and Vusi Pikoli have alleged political interference in these cases.

Mabandla said she would never have called Ramaite about who the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) should prosecute or when. She said the usual way was a memorandum from the minister's office. She said the amended policy mainly concerned people who had not taken part in the TRC process and wanted pardons.

Mabandla said Ramaite himself blocked the arrest of three apartheid-era police officers in the Frank Chikane poisoning case. She said former NPA head Bulelani Ngcuka told her she had probably made the call and was within her rights. Of Wagener she said: "I don't know him. I've never met him."

Advocate Howard Varney, who represents victims' families, plans to apply to cross-examine Mabandla. Ronnie Kasrils is expected to give evidence next.

Key facts

Who
Brigitte Mabandla (Former justice minister, testifying at the TRC cases inquiry); Silas Ramaite (Former Acting National Director of Public Prosecutions); Anton Ackermann (Former prosecutor who made allegations of political interference); Vusizi Pikoli (Former prosecutor who made allegations of political interference)
What
Mabandla, testifying at the TRC cases inquiry into delays in prosecuting apartheid-era crimes, said she would never have issued an instruction about who the NPA should prosecute or when. She denied political interference.
When
21 October 2026
Where
South Africa, Newtown, Johannesburg
Status
Reported

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